Final answer:
Books shaped public sentiment by influencing the urban elite, expanding access to reading materials through lending libraries and reading clubs, and impacting public opinion about slavery through works like Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Step-by-step explanation:
Books played a significant role in shaping public sentiment throughout history. In the Enlightenment era, despite limited access due to low literacy rates, books influenced the urban elite who had the wealth and leisure time to read.
However, it wasn't until the end of the 18th century that lending libraries and reading clubs expanded the reading public's access to books and increased literacy among the middle class.
In the 19th century, books like Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and other abolitionist literature had a profound impact on public opinion about slavery, contributing to the popularity of the abolitionist movement in the northern United States.